Mother's Milk Bank set to expand in order to meet demand for donor milk

CHICAGO (WLS) -- There will be more benefits for babies in the north suburbs as a local nonprofit milk bank is set to expand.

Mothers Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes just purchased a bigger building in Elk Grove Village to meet the growing demand for donor milk.

Susan Urbanski, program manager for Mother's Milk Bank, and Lindsey Nosbaum, who has donated milk and received milk for her baby, shared the importance of this milk bank with ABC7 Chicago Monday.

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"We collect human milk from moms who have a surplus," Urbanski said. "We then test it, pasteurize it and finally send it out to mostly hospitals and homes that need this milk."

Babies all over Illinois and Wisconsin that are unable to tolerate formula or who don't have access to maternal milk are going to benefit from this milk bank, Urbanski said.

Nosbaum said her she understands the importance of this milk bank, as she was able to donate her milk after she gave birth to her child.

"Looking back, I would think about all the mothers who have similar issues my baby had where he couldn't tolerate formula," Nosbaum said. "That pushed me to go out and donate that milk so these mothers have that sense of relief."

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"Demands for milk continues to rise," Urbanski said. "This is one of the reasons why we need this facility."

There is a rigorous screening process which includes a blood draw for every donor, Urbanski said.

For more information, you can visit www.milkbankwgl.org.